One of my fears came and went…I caught COVID. If you read my previous post I tested positive, you’ll know my symptoms were mostly mild except for one day. Things could have been much worse. Thankfully, I was vaccinated and received a pneumonia and flu shot in September; otherwise, my symptoms might have been worse. Even though I believe my son had COVID and brought it to our household, I admit that just like many people, my guard was down for a while. I never got the COVID boosters. I don’t remember the last time I wore a mask, but I’ve been wearing them for the past two weeks. My husband, Bryan (aka cuddle buddy) finally came back to our bedroom last night. It was difficult to fall asleep because I worried about infecting him though my symptoms subsided and it’s been over 10 days.

It feels great to be headache and congestion free. My taste buds returned. The general malaise feeling is gone. I’m at about 90% of myself. I enjoyed one hour of dance earlier today and made a big pot of sausage and shrimp gumbo. We attended an outside concert at church of Christmas music by an amazingly talented group. This definitely got me in the Christmas spirit. I’m looking forward to feeling even better tomorrow.

What light lessons did I learn from this COVID experience? Well, you’ve got to still be careful. It’s important to continue to practice proper hygiene. Respiratory illnesses like the cold, flu, and COVID have increased, particularly after the Thanksgiving holiday. It makes sense to wear masks again to protect yourself and your family. I was fortunate this time. I don’t want to pass the virus on to anyone, especially anyone with a weaker immune system than my own.

When I think about my life, I’ve survived many things I thought would take me out: breast cancer, death of both parents, lots of disappointments, and now COVID. My 2022-2023 motto is to just KEEP GOING. Life happens and it’s not always sad and depressing or happy and fun. It ebbs and flows. There are a multitude of emotions and experiences. I can do things through Christ that strengthens me. I get stronger and more resilient each time.

Despite COVID, I’ve been very productive at work these past 2 weeks and I plan to continue for the new week. I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues and team for a section-wide, in-person meeting. Most staff in our section teleworks so we haven’t had a large group meeting like this since before COVID. My boss also coordinated an in-person team building exercise for his direct reports and it sounds fun. To end the week, I will have lunch with my team on Friday. I will be masking up for all of this.

I’m entering this new week grateful for the people in my life, knowing I’m equipped to handle most anything, and confidence in my ability to effect positive change and make a positive difference in someone’s life.